Let the Rain Fall
by voltor314
Summary: A mission in the grass country. A chance encounter with a malnourished fox. What tales lay before Hinata as she struggles to find out the true nature of this this forlorn creature? Rated M for violence in future chapters.
1. Prolog

Stories. Stories have been used throughout the ages as entertainment, but also as a mean of conveying lessons and morals. Many of these stories you already know, the Ugly Duckling, telling us not to judge someone by the way they look, Hansel and Gretel, telling us not to be greedy.

Usually stories have some sort of moral, or lesson. Sometimes they are a warning, or premonition, of things to come. Or sometimes they are merely reminiscences of the past, depicting stories of gallant knights in shining armor, damsels in distress, or monsters. Whatever the purpose of a story is, every society has them, from Europe to Asia.

The people of Konoha tell a story too. They tell one of the oldest and most heard of story, even in this day and age, the Boy Who Cried Wolf. This story depicts a young boy, who, at a young age discovered he could get a lot of attention by causing panic. So, one day, he went into town and told everyone that there was a wolf who tried to eat him in the woods. The villagers gathered together to try and search for this wolf, but low and behold, none was found. This went on for months, the boy would cry the alarm for wolf and the villagers would follow. One day, the villagers decided that they had enough, and so they chose to ignore the boy. The boy was in a clearing just outside the woods when a great wolf came. The boy cried and cried, but no one came for him and he was eaten.

The moral of the story is obviously that one should seek help only when it is truly needed. This is especially relevant in a society when one could be attacked at any moment. So to avoid the danger of a false alarm, the adults tell this story to their children.

But, there is another reason why they tell this story. Once, there was a boy, much like the boy in the story. He too sought attention, and was punished for it.

But there are some drastic changes in the story. After all, why would the Great Nation of Konoha be afraid of a wolf? They are afraid of something much worse than a mere wolf. They are afraid of a fox.

What do you think? Probably not much since I haven't told you the actual story line. By the way, hint: the fox is not Kyuubi.


	2. Stranger in the chair

The rain fell, and it fell hard. It soaked the green grass of the countryside and moistened the leaves of the trees high above. It dug into the dirt of the much walked road that spanned the distance of fire and grass country.

The little droplets fell hard on the five travelers that were on that road and thoroughly soaked them. It soaked their clothing so much that it would take hours just to get off. But the travelers did not seem to care about the rain that soaked them through the bone. They had received a mission and were concentrating solely on its success.

The report they had been given had stated that there was a killer on the loose in the grass country. But no ordinary killer was he. The report had dubbed him as hitokiri, a man slayer. The grass country, in their weakened state, could not hope to defeat such a man, so they called in the assistance of Konoha shinobi.

And so, there they were, on that god-forsaken road, the pitter-patter of rain on the rooftops that they occasionally passed by. The road that held many memories for them all, memories that contained much sorrow and grief. Memories that they hoped never to be reminded of again. Little did they know, that new memories were about to be formed.

"Sakura, let's stop here for tonight." Said a stoic Sasuke. "Hai, Sasuke-kun." They stopped in front of a run-down looking hotel. The brown paint was peeling and the carpet was riddled with all sorts of parasites. They had seen worse. They went up to the collapsing desk and rang the rusty bell to signal to the clerk.

An old man came up to them. He had a long, grey beard and his cloths were tattered and patched. He politely told them that there were only two rooms left but plenty of spare mattresses that they could use. When they agreed, they gave him one night's rent, and he gave them the worn keys to their rooms.

On the way to the stairs, they noticed a man sitting in one of the lounge's fading red velvet chairs. He had a dark blue scarf tied around his neck and his hair was blood red. He was staring impassively out the window, watching the rain fall onto the road outside. They didn't see his face, though his hair made a good enough impression.

The rest didn't see as he looked back at them. Hinata glanced back just in time to catch a glimpse of his eyes. They were blue. Pure, innocent, pools of cerulean, longing for compassion. But a glimpse was all Hinata got before he turned to the rain once more. But in that glimpse, she thought she sensed a pang of remembrance before it quickly faded.

She was dragged back to reality by the inpatient calls of her teammates. She turned around to look at them waiting at the top of the long, rotten staircase. Muttering a quick apology, she turned around to look at the stranger once more. But she could not for he was no where to be seen. Putting him out of her mind, she climbed the stairs to meet her friends.

Friends. If even she could call them that. They were not friends, merely teammates, associates she was forced to work with or endure. She had not had any friends for a while, not since…

The arrival at their room snapped her back to reality. But as they put the key in the old lock, and pushed on the moldy door, she drifted back into thought once more.

She was wondering why that person she had just seen had been on her mind. No matter where she thought she had seen him from, nothing came to her. This person was ruling her mind and she couldn't even remember who he was. Her thought continued long into the night, and as her thoughts persisted, she thought of where he might have gone to.

At the front desk, a man with blood red hair walked up. A scarf adorned his face, concealing all features except his eyes. That, he quickly covered with a rice-hat. Out of one of his sleeves of his blue and black samurai dress, he pulled a small key.

"I'm checking out." He quickly muttered to the clerk. And as he was nearing the door the clerk asked, "Where will you stay? There isn't another hotel for miles and it is pouring rain." The man turned back to the clerk, his eyes showing just to him. But this time, they weren't the calm blue that they just were. In their stead, was a pair of red eyes, eyes that seemed to stare right through you. He muttered one last statement before he left. "Let the rain fall."

* * *

Good eh? Short I know, but I am tired, and a genius needs time to think. Can guess who that person in the samurai garb is? But more importantly, can anyone tell me what those Asian conical hats are? I think that they are called rice hats, 


	3. Lone wolf

A beast walked along the muddy road that was established by the people of the grass village, its paws splashing the tiny pools of water that populated the road. Rain soaked him, passing through his matted grey fur and onto the pink skin underneath. The red of his eyes stared forever forward, into the cold night.

If someone walking by were to see him, they might get the impression that he was a wolf, or perhaps a large, raggedy looking dog that had simply lost its way. But its brilliant eyes held a different story, they told of a sad life that dragged on through severe neglect and damage. A life in which he was given no respect, not even a glimpse of pity.

It wasn't surprising though to have a creature in this horrific condition, foxes aren't held in high regard in the country these days. Yes, it was a fox. A giant grey fox that had come from somewhere unknown, hoping for a better life than what he had just left on the road behind him. But no hope remained for him. He would most likely die on the road, not knowing why he was treated as if he held the devil himself, not knowing anything about who he was or where he came from. He would simply lie down and die.

But, if he could let the rain fall, if he could just walk through the storm until the clouds parted on the other end of the long road he could find life again. If he could just find the courage to walk on, he would make it to salvation, to acceptance. So even though his stomach growled in aguish from lack of nutrition, and he himself was weary and tired, he would push on and let the rain fall on him, chilling his body and mind but never dousing completely that flame that burned deep within that gave him the will to live.

* * *

He would walk on, hoping that one day someone could learn to trust the fox.

Hinata bolted up in bed after just waking up from the strange dream that had plagued her all night. The dream of the fox in the rain. Rain. Why was it all about rain, everything that had happened on the that she had chosen to undertake mission had lead to the rain that even now pelted the window outside of the dilapidated room. The rain owned her life; she had stop thinking about it.

She wiped the beads of sweat that formed across her brow. They fell from her forehead to the sleeping-bag that now lay on the hotel's aged mattress. As she swung her legs out of the heated bag and onto the floor, she noticed that her roommate, Sakura, was already out of bed and sitting apprehensively on her mattress. They both already had their clothes on since neither had removed them the night before.

As Hinata stood up and moved toward the restroom, Sakura's words stopped her. "There isn't any running water." Hinata nodded understanding that a leisurely shower was an uncommon thing on a mission. She simply went over to the door and put on her now encrusted sandals. Sakura followed suit and they headed over to where the rest of their team was staying.

As they moved silently closer to the room, they heard voices coming from the other side of the worn door. Knocking twice, they heard a few loud curses and a few grumbles as the sound of feet came nearer.

"Yeah, what is it?" Kiba said in a groggy and vexed tone. Sakura not-to-kindly explained as she pushed past him, "Move it dog-breath, Sasuke said that we need to discuss our plan of action." Kiba moved out of the way of the two kunochi who made there way into the desecrated room that lay before them.

Shino was sitting on one bed, his eyes hidden behind the dark sunglasses and his emotionless face hidden behind his teal coat. Giving no welcome of any sort, the girls turned away from Shino and directed their gaze at Sasuke who was currently residing in the rooms only armchair. His arms gripped the velvet armrests; a brooding look adorned his face just as a forest green jounin vest adorned his chest.

The girls took seats on the bed opposite the one Shino was on. The old springs of the bed sagged under their combine weight and squeaked relentlessly. Kiba took a seat on the bed next to Shino and all four of them waited for the report that was to be delivered by the stoic Uchiha.

"You all know what matter I wish to discuss." Sasuke said in an emotionless tone. They all sat there, a serious expression adorned their faces while all the while in their minds they knew what he was about to say. "The man last night. Questions: Who was he? Does he know who we are? Is he fraternizing with our target? Where did he go?" Sasuke finished and patiently waited for the impending analysis.

"There is no way to know for sure who he is but his traditional garb suggests that he might be a swordsman. Though, that is highly unlikely on the account of lack of a sword." Shino suggested. When he was finished, the five of them sat there for a few seconds before Sasuke analyzed what Shino had said. "We don't know for sure if he doesn't have a sword. He could have set it down somewhere-" Sasuke was cut off a Shino interjected, "Swordsmen don't leave there swords where they can't see them. Their sword is their sole."

"That is true; but he could have sealed it in a scroll. But Shino brought up a good point: His clothes are very distinctive. But other than that, we don't have anything else to go by. His scarf covered up his face, and his wasn't turned so we could see his eyes. In summation, it would be good to follow him, and we must consider him dangerous!" Sasuke finished with his palm slamming into the chair.

Hinata had been listening on and off for the past few minutes, but this last part she caught. "Excuse me." Hinata shakily continued as all the eyes in the room fixated on her. "While I did sense something powerful about him, I sensed no real danger from him, I sensed almost, a familiarity about him."

When Hinata finished, all the eyes of the room were still fixated on her, but the expressions on their face varied greatly. While Shino maintained his expressionless face, others like Sakura and Sasuke looked upon her in question.

It felt like forever since someone had said a word. The sound of rain hitting the building echoed through Hinata's mind as Sasuke finally spoke. He had an aura of seriousness around him and spoke in a commanding voice. His words were swift and without mercy like the stroke of a sword, "If you met him before, that makes him all the more dangerous."

The minutes in that room felt like hours before they got up to leave. In that time, Hinata was just sitting there; an ashamed look adorned her face. She had shown weakness, no one would respect her now. No one offered consolation to her even though that was when she needed it most. They were after all, just teammates. They were no one of any significant value in Hinata's lonely life.

There was never anyone to comfort her since Naruto. Naruto was a tender memory to her, one that brought her joy and gave her happiness. No one else remembered him, or that day. They all chose to forget about it. Forget about him and his dream. Hinata was the only person to still remember, except for one: Sasuke.

Sasuke. Hinata hated him for what he did. He was Naruto's best friend, yet he was the reason Naruto was no longer there. Hinata sunk her head into her hands as she remembered that day.

* * *

_The crowd roared with pleasure as they looked up to see the source of their vexation up on a platform, a rope tied securely around his neck. The rope hung limply before it quickly went rigged as the body that it was tied to dropped abruptly. The body swung back and forth slightly as Sasuke stood on the platform, a triumphant look on his face._

_The cheers increased until no other noise could be heard. It even blocked out the sobbing of a young woman who was situated in the crowed. Her ebony locks covered her face as did her hands as she continued to cry her heart out. Now that the boy that she had loved forever was dead, she would never find happiness again. _

_Even when everyone left, she remained looking up at the limp body that hung from the Hokage tower. Nobody was left, not even the boy's s called friends. Clouds soon started to form. And even as it started pouring heavily, she remained forever fixated on that spot. The falling rain covered her tears and soaked her in cold water. But it didn't matter now that Naruto was dead, so she let the rain fall._


	4. Chance encounter in the rain

The rain fell hard on the dirt road as the five travelers set out once again. Their footsteps sank deep into the dirt which had now become a damp slush, making their journey all the harder. The rain, once again, soaked them through to the bone as the little droplets fell from the darkened sky.

They had been on the road for days now, ever since their supposed target had up and left without a trace. They had tried to follow the tracks using Kiba's nose, but that proved to be futile as the rain that seemingly perpetually soaked the land had taken away the already almost non-existent scent and had corroded the original tracks. All of their thoughts kept dragging up different questions, such as 'How did he cover his scent?' or 'Why does the rain always seem to get the better of us?' But the question most on their minds was: 'How was he able to evade us completely?' Whatever the answer might be, the fact didn't change that they needed to find him as he was their first lead in weeks.

As the trudged along the muddy road, a silhouette came into view. Everybody's muscles tensed, waiting for the swift attack that was to come. They just stood there, not moving a muscle, not even to breath. The rain bounced off their cloths and onto the dirt path underneath as they looked onto the still unmoving shadow ahead. One person, Hinata, decided to end the perpetual stand-off by attacking first.

She lunged off into the obscuring rain and toward the impending doom that loomed over them all. She drew a kunai out of her pouch and prepared to attack their oppressor head on, but something made her stop before she delivered the possibly fatal blow. She stood their looking at the now clear silhouette, her kunai raised above her head, reflecting the pouring rain with its hard metal construct.

It was a wolf. A wolf was the cause of there distress. She relaxed and went back to a standing position, her kunai still clutched in her hand. She stared at it with solicitous eyes, her gaze never leaving its forlorn face. She never looked away because it was looking back at her, its eyes locked with her pools of lavender. Its eyelids were drooping so that only a portion of its despondent blue eyes were showing. But in that tiny sliver, Hinata could see, and feel all of the creature's pain, its neglect and dejection. Her heart was now filled with sorrow for the great beast.

She could have stayed like that forever, the rain falling on her shoulders and on the wolf's matted fur, because in that moment, she found happiness and a sense of tranquility that she had not had in ten years. Looking into the lonely creature's eyes made her remember all the good things that had ever happened to her. She didn't want to leave, no one could make her, she would-. The splash of footsteps in the small puddles that dotted the road tore her from her temporary Nirvana.

The four other companions that she had been traveling with had come up by her side. All of their eyes were fixated on the wolf that stood before them. "It's a wolf?" Sakura spoke in a questioning tone. Everybody thought that her question was pretty obvious until Kiba spoke up. "No it isn't." Everybody turned to face him, all with looks of inquiry, especially Hinata who had yet again been dragged out of her concentration. "Wolves travel in packs, and one wouldn't survive long on its own." Everybody brooded over this spot of evidence until Shino inquired, "If it is not a wolf, than what is it?"

Kiba put his hand on his chin and looked up to the clouded sky with the rain soaking his already damp face. A look of contemplation adorned his face. He finally spoke with a certain sense of significance, "I think that it might be a fox." Others looked at him in curiosity and in skepticism. Hinata looked at him however with a mixed look of shock and hope. Kiba spoke again, this time to clarify, "It might be a giant grey fox, although they haven't been known to populate this area. I'd have to take a closer look-." Kiba stopped in his words as he looked to where the Fox had once been.

Others looked around for a sign of where the beast might have meandered off to. But their efforts were in vain as the rain had dissipated its tracks into nothing more than patches of mud indistinguishable to those that surrounded it. The Fox had just disappeared into the prison of water that encaged them all as Hinata looked down the road, her sanctuary disappearing along with it. A lone tear fell from her eye. But it went unnoticed as it was swept away with the falling rain.

It would be along time before they ever saw the grey fox again

* * *

Sorry it was so short, but hey, at least I'm connecting the Fox to the story now. But it was your own fault because I didn't get enough reviews. 


	5. Human's evils

The village that the five travelers had stumbled into was to put it at very best, quaint. The houses and buildings that they passed were old and had patches of wall missing. The roofs that were once tiled now lay in a ruin as a temporary of straw and hay replaced them. The boards that supported them were eaten out by maggots and termites and now resembled a solid mold.

But there were people here. But the way they looked, you might overlook that fact at first glance. Their clothing was almost non-existent as the men were only loin-cloths and had massive beards growing from their dirt-covered faces. The woman had the best clothing; a dirty and ripped dress that looked like it had been passed down through 5 generations. And the crying children in their arms were covered in nothing but a layer of dirt. All of their eyes held a look of pain and sorrow, much like the aura that held the city, or the fox.

While one might take pity on this dilapidated village, the travelers did not as they passed through it, paying no head to the cries of hunger and disease. The desperate begging from the village inhabitance did not affect them in the least, for they new they could do nothing to help this village.

There were many villages like this in the grass country. They had been too small and too plentiful to receive any support from the government, so, they were abandoned by the founders of the nation and were forced to rot like the people who lined the effluence filled streets. The government found new pride in the cities that were to replace these aging homes. They loomed just outside the boundaries, ready to take that land as soon as all the people died off.

It was now that they left the town, and found themselves in an implausibly better setting. The buildings were that of middle age Japan, with rice paper doors and navy blue tiled roofs that were endlessly sewn together, house after house. Many vendors lined the streets, their colorful signs and seemingly incredible products attracting to the more ignorant members of the community. The restaurants boasted endless recipes of oriental food, and exotic entrees.

Hinata glanced at one of the more modest delicatessens, most likely a ramen shop. Its plain sign hung high over the head of its one and only customer. It was a man with traditional samurai garb, his navy blue pants rapped from the knees down in bandages and bracers adorned his lower arms, covering up the dark red shirt. A rice-hat was perched on top of his head and a violet scarf was rapped around his neck.

Hinata's eyes widened for this was the man that they had been chasing from the motel. Her heart raced even as no words came from her agape mouth. He just sat there. Just beyond her grasp, he sat at one of the stools, a glass of sake at his right. Hinata then gained some of her lost composure and started toward him.

This man was clearly an adept person as he flinched at Hinata's shadowed approach. And even though he was inebriated, he nimbly took off from the stool and race past Hinata. His speed ruffled her cloths in wind as she was startled yet again. She turned to face the direction he took off in just in time to see him dart down an alleyway. Against her better judgment, she followed at great speed, a voice inside her telling her to move toward him.

She flew into the alley, darkness claiming her sight for a while as the roofs covered the space and blocked out most ambient light. Left, right, right again, the left; she followed him through the small maze, only guided by her hearing. Her Byakugan proving to be useless in all these twists and turns.

The end of her running stopped as she neared the mouth, the rays of light pouring into the secluded passage. Her vision was halted by the light that now shone into her eyes and she could hear her target scamper away. As she gazed ahead, she found herself immerged in forestry. The trees blocked out most light, except for the few occasional rays that shown through the gaps in the canopy. The empty sound of crickets and birds filled the air instead of the constant pace of feet hitting the earth. Hinata gave into her exhaustion that came from the recent chase and let out a sigh of defeat.

She looked back at the way she had came and found surprise for the third time today. She was nowhere near the alley that she had navigated before and the woods covered any trace of footprints. She mentally cursed as she looked around for any sort of clue as to how to get back. She couldn't go above the canopy for the forest was too thick.

She was now in a state of almost complete wonderment and fear. But she did not let her perplexity stop her and so she simply turned around and started walking. The branches that stuck out from the impeding bushes scratched her clothes and tore deep into her skin. The dirt that covered them only made it worse as it sunk into her now open wounds, making tears start to form at the kunochi's pale eyes.

* * *

She trekked on and on, up rocky hills and through bogged rivers until the light that shown through the tree-tops began to dim. Now exhausted as well as beaten, she decided to rest for the night. She did not care that her cloths were wet or that there were rocks that covered the ground, she simply propped herself up on the nearest trees and let the darkness taka hold of her.

But before it did, she saw the last rays of light fade away from the shadowed landscape. And in those fading rays she saw the silhouette of a person, hovering over her. But she was not afraid for some reason; she was tired, and needed to sleep. And as the darkness crept over her eyes, she felt the warmth of a person's touch envelope her.

* * *

Short huh? But I had a fucking lot of homework tonight. Tomorrow should be better. 


	6. Innocence or Malevolence

Water, dampness? No, it was rain again. These were the first few thoughts going through Hinata's mind as she awoke in what appeared to be a large cave. Even though it was almost pitch black, she made out the form of large stalactites that loomed above her head. They were colored in the dark grey of the stone that encompassed her. Her back though, was not laying on the pebbles and other sharp rocks that covered the stone floor. Instead she was pressed against something soft, and oddly warm.

She sat up and realized that she was laying on a futon. The plain white sheets encompassed her body, keeping the warm air produced from escaping. When she sat up though, the sheets fell from her shoulders to reveal a dark blue kimono wrapped neatly around her. Its smooth fabric slid across her skin as she moved to get up.

She wrapped her arms around herself as a wave of cold gripped her. It chilled her through the bone, as if there was an invisible wind flowing through the unlit cavern. She gingerly picked up the blanket from the floor and wrapped it around herself. Its strange warmth comforted her upon its touch.

She looked around the cavern; her eyes more attuned with the dim lighting. There was an open spot, but the rain poured over it, covering all vision of the outside. But what caught her eye was sewn floor that hung over the slope that dissipated into the water as it descended into darkness. It was as if someone used to sit there, looking over whatever scenery that lay behind the rushing water.

She turned around, a large shadow in one corner catching her eye. The shadow began to take form as it emerged from the darkness. Hinata stepped back as she recognized the from as being human; a certain human that she definitely didn't want to see right now.

Her eyes gazed upon the melancholy colors that made up the person's cloths as she descended into a battle stance, the blanket falling from on her tensed shoulders. The stranger stepped out of the shadows and looked at her from the shade of his hat. The silence went on for what seemed like hours, neither moving during that time. Hinata shifted to attack as she looked on to her still stagnant target.

"Did I…" The stranger started. Hinata waited taken aback as the stranger continued. "Did I do something wrong?" Hinata's jaw nearly dropped in amazement. 'His question is just like that of a child's; he has no real idea what he has done to deserve us chasing him. He cannot be the one we are looking for.' She relaxed and moved into a relaxed standing position as the stranger moved forward.

"I don't think that I did anything wrong by bringing you here Hinata-chan." Hinata stiffened again as the stranger moved closer. "I just found you in mud and thought it kind to-" The man was interrupted by Hinata's blunt question. "How do you know my name?" Silence followed her question for an agonizingly long time before the stranger responded. "I don't know." He answered honestly. But Hinata was still wary of him. After all, she was a ninja; she should be prepared for everything.

"Are you letting your professionalism get in the way of an honest conversation?" This seemingly innocent question drove Hinata over the edge. She collapsed to her knees as they hit the bed that lay before her. She buried her head in her hands, her words barley getting out behind them. "How do you know so much about me?" She asked in anguish. The stranger responded with the same honest answer. "I don't know." But this time, instead of leaving at that he continued. "But I feel as if you and I have met before."

At this last statement, he turned to leave through the woven door at the other end of the cave. He stopped by the open door and turned slightly to the distraught girl. His word got to her as he knew they would. "You can leave anytime you want."

At this Hinata looked up from her anguish as he turned once again to leave. "Wait!" She cried out. He turned again to see what the girl wanted. "What is your name?" She questioned the shrouded figure. "I do not know what name I was given." Hinata sunk back into the bed, her gaze averted to the small pillow that lay upon it. "…But there is a name that I do remember." Hinata looked up again, this time she caught a glimpse of the man's eyes. They were a beautiful deep cerulean. And as she was captivated by the glistening orbs, he continued. "I am called by many, the fox."

* * *

Kiba sniffed the air, looking for any trace of his lost comrade, the cool air flowing up his nostrils and mixing with his own familiar odor. But he found none. He hadn't found anything in his entire 3 day search so to speak of. He wandered aimlessly around the wet landscape, the cool mist floating just below his knees. It clouded what little vision he had in the forest as it also killed his sense of smell.

'Damn it!' Kiba swore to himself as a branch clung at his coat. 'I should never have let her out of my sight, that crazy little-' He stopped as he came upon a large clearing. Its wet grass flickered with an asserted brilliance as the full moon bounced off of it. The wind toyed with it as it was swept back and forth in the night's small breeze. The fog had also parted, leaving him with perfect vision of the clearing.

And it was with this vision that he first noticed the fox sitting at the other end. Its back faced the dark of the forest as his eyes fixated directly at Kiba. Its eyes burned red and its muscles were tensed as if it could charge him and rip him apart at any second. Kiba froze as he locked eyes with the beast, not daring to move a muscle in front of the impressive beast. When his mind started working again, he began to recognize it as the fox that they had happened by on the trail.

"It's the same one." Kiba said this to himself, not expecting the answer to come. "Yes I am." Kiba stiffened. This was no ordinary fox, could it have been a summon? Kiba pondered this strange happenstance as the fox grew impatient. "You're trespassing." The fox spoke with perfect English as it stated the idle warning. Kiba looked at it with a confused look, what was he trespassing on. "I will let you leave, but do it soon or I will have to force you."

Kiba held up his arms to emphasize his defense on the matter. "Woh, woh, woh, hang on; I'm just trying to find my friend. If you clarify why I can't be h-" The fox cut him off as he delivered his blunt answer. "This is not a place for humans. Now leave." Kiba was a mix of emotions: he was startled, confused, and extremely angry that this fox was telling him what to do.

He got up from where he had been kneeling previously. "Now look," Kiba started. "I am going to find my friend and bring her back with me and I'm not going to let some talking fur-ball get in my fucking way!" The foxed looked at him in a rather amused way. His eyebrow was quirked to one side as a clearly visible smile appeared on his face. "Now, now Inizuka, is that any way to treat an animal?" Kiba stopped at this statement. How did this animal know who he was?

The fox continued in his mocking tone. "Maybe it's just because you lost your little puppy." Kiba jaw nearly dropped. "How did you know about Akamaru you bastard?!" Kiba screamed at the grey fox while its smile kept getting bigger. But suddenly its face drooped as it took on a more serious expression. "Enough joking around." Kiba suppressed his anger as he waited for the fox to speak. "I am not going to let you take her. She does not want to leave. If she did, she would already be back with you.

"What?" As Kiba stated his simple question, the fox began to change. Its fur started to retract as did its claws; its face began to shrink and the legs reversed their knees with two sickening cracks. As it stood up on its hind legs, the moonlight illuminated it so Kiba could see exactly what it had become. The ambient light caressed over his sleek features as a violet scarf became visible.

The man spoke in voice that held a dark aura to it. "It is apparent that you will not leave without reluctance. So I will have to force you." He drew a sword out of his shirt and pulled it out of its plain wood sheath. The blade reflected the moonlight across the entire clearing as it came to rest with its tip hovering just above the ground while a terrified Kiba stared into the bottomless red pits that were the fox's eyes.


	7. The Fox and the Hound

Kiba stood there in complete disbelief as the wind batted his jacket around. It rippled the cloths of his attacker as he launched himself at the still shivering Inizuka. The moon glistened off of the well polished sword that advanced toward him. The slice came without warning and it came fast as Kiba jumped back to avoid the deadly metal. But the damage was done, as a long stream of crimson blood flowed form a gash on his shoulder.

The blood soaked into his jacket as he sunk to the ground in pain. Between gritted teeth, he looked up at the cloaked figure and his now sullied weapon. He slowly rose to his feet, his body aching in pain as well as his fractured ego.

He pulled a sharpened Kunai out of his pouch as he prepared for the next inevitable strike. But as the weapon that he held remained in its stagnant position, his resolve began to decline and was soon back to nothing with the words that came out of his enemy's mouth. "Why do you continue to stay? You can leave now and not suffer such pain." Kiba formed a pained smirk with his mouth. "I would suffer anyway, but a person like you would know nothing like that."

The fox stood there, thinking beneath the layers of clothing that covered his face. "What makes you think I don't?" This caught Kiba off guard for he did not expect an answer from this apparent killer. The fox continued, giving no regard to Kiba's state of mind. "What makes you think I have not suffered as you do now? What makes you think that I am a person that does not require emotion?! What makes you think that I am a monster?!"

His voice escalated in obvious rage as his speech gave way from its hardened resolve. Kiba wondered what could be going on in the person's apparently fragile mind set. But no sooner had the revelation entered his head than the cold hard resolve of a killer shrouded the figure once more.

Nothing was visible except for a trail of air parting the grass as the strike hit Kiba. The cold steel hit him hard even as he felt several ribs crack under the pressure. His mouth opened to let loose a small trail of crimson blood. His body slammed against the ground and tore up the grassy soil. His body lay in a heap of mud as a light rain patted against his now soiled jacket.

But one thing relevant about his seemingly immobile state made itself clear as he lay there: that strike did not use the blade. He chocked out a troubled laugh as he moved to stand up. "So you want me to believe that your emotions saved me there? Not likely…" But his gaff was cut short as a blade passed narrowly over his head; splitting nothing but the air as he dodged backwards.

He hit a tree with immense force as he dodged to avoid a second, vertical, strike. More blood trickled down the corner of his mouth as he painfully looked up to see his eventual demise. His attacker's blade loomed high above his head, the moon forming a silver lining to the tainted steel. He smiled slightly, thinking about all the things he wished to do with his life, now never able to be completed. Friends never met, statuses never reached, people never loved…

* * *

Hinata rushed through the thick forest, bare feet sinking deep into the mud that covered the forest floor. Her breath was hard and steady as she tried desperately to keep herself with a certain resolve. Her lavender kimono was torn in several places by the encroaching twigs and branches. Her eyes were in the form of her clan bloodline as she searched desperately.

The branches were parted slightly, indicating that a creature had been by recently. And it was a particular creature that she wanted to track right now, one that might help her get back home.

And it was then that her eyes came upon a clearing. Her pace quickened as she recognized her goal. A small smile came upon her face as she burst through the forest and out into the grassy clearing. But realization soon set in as she took a look at the devastation that lay before her. And to her absolute dismay, one of her teammates was the target of the man that she had sought up until now.

The blade that was poised above their heads soon started to descend upon the helpless Inizuka. Everything seemed to run in slow motion as she leapt from her motionless state to try to prevent the seemingly inevitable strike. And a cry of protest could be heard though the entire forest as the merciless steel connected with the human flesh.

* * *

I am so sorry that I have not made a chapter in a long time. I had tests before spring break let out then I had a camping trip, then I went to Mammoth and I am just wiped out. I hope to update sooner and do a better chap. 


	8. Going Home

The scream could be heard, echoing throughout the dark night, as well as the sickening sound of a blade passing effortlessly through the air.

Hinata rushed forward, not sure of what she was doing anymore, tears falling onto her violet Kimono that was now torn and sullied. Her mouth open, trying to give some type of protest to the slaughter she was watching. But both her tears and her screams seemed to go unnoticed by the figure cloaked in samurai garbs.

At least that is what she thought at first. She came to halt just a few feet away from where the fox was standing. Her eyes widened in disbelief as the dull side of a blade sank further into the neck of the helpless Inizuka. The sound of cracking bones could be heard all the while.

Hinata sunk to her knees, not willing to accept what just happened. The breeze batted her hair around as the incapacitated Inizuka fell onto the moist grass that surrounded the clearing.

Her soft, violet eyes drifted up to meet the hard, red ones of the fox. A lone word managed to escape Hinata's parted lips. "Why?" The man clothed in the old garbs did not answer as he, with one flick of the wrist, wiped the blood off his sword. He then sheathed the merciless metal again as the question again left Hinata's mouth. "Why?" He turned to face the distressed girl, his eyes once again locking with hers. "It was what Hinata-sama wanted."

Hinata's mind tumbled inside her skull. This was a completely different person than who she had just met. Perhaps this one was the killer? Had they been tracking the right person all along? No, that was not possible, he had given her a place to stay, he had given her cloths, and if he wanted to kill her he would have.

With the turmoil going on inside Hinata's mind, she did not notice as the man bent over to the man that lay on the grass in front of them. He put one arm under his stomach and gingerly lifted him up, onto his shoulder. Hinata looked up as words escaped the unknown void that was his face. "I take it you would like to go back now with your teammate?"

Hinata pushed herself to her feet as the shrouded man handed her her incapacitated teammate. His weight burdened her, but she was used to caring weights such as this. She looked again to the shrouded figure, his were eyes now hidden by the hat that covered his red hair. It was then that she chose to answer him, even though she knew no answer needed to be given. "Yes, I must. Our teammates will undoubtedly be looking for us."

The fox gave a slight nod as he started walking past her and into the forest. He stopped for a minute and turned back to the two standing in the grassy field. "I will show you the way back to the village." Hinata nodded as she walked up to where he was waiting, her eyes not daring to look at anything above the grass that had suddenly become very interesting.

* * *

The walk was not that hard as they walked on fairly open pathways. The person leading them obviously knew the route. None of them spoke throughout the trip for they did not wish to break the comforting silence that enveloped them.

The road was more than a good nine miles away from the grassy field where they were a few hours go. But seeing it and the three silhouettes of her teammates suddenly perked up Hinata's mind. They did not seem to notice her though when she came out of the forest that lined the road.

Hinata looked back to the shrouded figure that still remained in the dark grips of the forest. She quietly said one final thing to him as he turned to leave. "Thank you fox, I hope we will meet again." The man paused for a minute before turning to face the young woman.

Hinata looked upon his eyes, this time they were not the crimson that he adorned during the battle. Instead they were replaced by the pools of cerulean that she had seen earlier. She could tell that he was smiling behind that scarf that adorned his face. "I am sure that we will Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled herself before departing the man that still stood within the forest's trees. Little did she know, a pair of deep blue eyes was watching her all the while with a hint of compassion hidden among the pain.

* * *

"Damn it! It has been three days since we have seen have last seen Kiba or Hinata!" Sasuke shouted in fury to nobody in particular. His eyes scanned the horizon, looking for any trace of their lost comrades. "Face it Sasuke-kun, we just have to accept that they were captured, or worse, by the man that we saw earlier. We have to go back to Konoha to report it."

Sasuke sighed in defeat. How was he accepted to explain this one to the Godamine? The loss of both an Inizuka and a Hyuuga was inexcusable. "Yes Sakura, I guess you're ri-" He paused as a figure approached them from the early morning fog. They three of them dropped into battle stances as a voice came from the now approaching figure. "Who was captured?"

It was then that they recognized the voice, and their suspicions were confirmed as the figure emerged from the dense fog. Sakura was the first to speak up to the person. "Hinata?"

Hinata smiled as she limped over to them carrying a wounded Kiba on her back. They rushed over to meat her as Sakura checked for any visible injuries on Hinata. When she found none, she began heeling the Inizuka that was now laid on the hard ground.

It was Sasuke who regained professionalism first. "What happened? What happened to the man we were tracking?" Hinata glared up at the commanding Uchiha. She answered his questions in a flat tone. "I saw him at a shop in the village and tried to approach him. He ran off and I tried to track him. Kiba followed after me, but when I found him he was incapacitated by the fo- I mean the man." Sasuke took in this information before reiterating the second question. "And what happened to the man?" Hinata cringed for a minute, hoping that she wouldn't have to answer. Because if she did, Sasuke might detect the lie she was about to tell. "Wasn't him. Kiba had apparently attacked him first and he was simply defending himself. If he was the Hitokiri, he would have killed him, but instead he knocked him out."

Sasuke, apparently satisfied with this answer, turned back to the silent Shino. "This means that the mission was a failure. In any case, we have to get back to Konoha to get Kiba fully treated." Shino nodded as Sasuke then scooped up the temporarily healed Inizuka before heading off down the road.

The others followed suit and they walked in silence before Sakura asked Hinata the question that had been bugging her ever since she came back. "Hinata?" Hinata turned to face the girl who was speaking to her. "Where did you get that Kimono?"

* * *

A lone soul trudged through the dank forest and into a cave that was hidden beneath the dense foliage. He opened the small wooden door with a creek and stepped inside. His footsteps echoed throughout the cave as he made his way to the balcony that overlooked the forest. He took a seat, kicking off his sandals so that he could put his legs in a cross-legged position.

He reached up with his hand and took off the beige hat that adorned his head to reveal a head of spiky blond hair. His gaze fell upon five travelers that walked the highway that lay far beyond the forest. He looked upon one in particular, a girl with smooth lavender hair.

He smiled as he undid the scarf that hid his face from other's view. Three whisker marks adorned his cheeks as they stretched to form a big fox-like grin. "Yes Hinata-chan I am sure we will meet again. In fact, I think it is about time to pay Konoha a visit."

* * *

I am really sorry I did not get back as soon as I had hoped. I have CSAT's coming up and I needed to study. I also had massive writer's block. 


	9. Welcome Home Part 1

An uneventful month passed in the village of Konoha. Missions were typical for shinobi such as Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka who were currently on gate guard duty. But rather than keep their already unfocused minds on observing the road ahead of them, they argued relentlessly about meaningless and boring things.

Well, arguing could be said in Ino's case as her voice could wake the dead, while on the other hand Shikamaru's arguments barley surpassed single syllable words such as "yes" or "no". And true to his nature, an occasional uttering of "troublesome" could be heard.

Currently Ino was yelling at Shikamaru for keeping his mind on the clouds instead of at the road that both shinobi were currently neglecting to observe.

"You lazy bastard! Why do I even bother to go on missions with you if all you do is watch the clouds?! I mean, if you were spacing out at least choice something of more interest!" Shikamaru sighed his head in utter defeat. Arguments like this were best dealt with by shutting up and not saying a word to the exuberant girl.

As he brought his head back up, his eyes focused on what appeared to be a person walking along the main road. Shikamaru squinted his eyes to try to focus more on the person as he stood back up. Ino noticed his peculiar behavior so she too stared at the stranger currently approaching them.

Minutes passed before either of the guards could distinguish the blue and white samurai garb of the lone figure. Finally he was within a few feet of them, and their bewildered stares locked with his cerulean eyes.

A smile was almost visible as the person walked up to them. He nodded his head in acknowledgment as he passed the still perplexed duo. He then turned to each of them and addressed tem, "Hello Shikamaru, Ino."

The man continued walking through the gate as Ino made a move to stop him. But a hand quickly passed in front of Ino as she continued to stare at the traveler that seemed so distant, yet so familiar. But soon she turned to Shikamaru as his hand fell to his waist. Both were silent for several minutes before Shikamaru whispered the tiniest acknowledgment to the addressing statement of the traveler. "Welcome home."

* * *

The traveler walked the streets of Konoha, getting the occasional unbiased glance or a few giggles coming from a herd of prattling girls who were questioning his peculiar attire.

It continued like this for a while until he came to his destination. He looked up to the giant stone faces that adorned the mountain behind the Hokage tower. He silently counted the faces of former Hokages until he came upon the sixth and final face. His eyes gazed upon the stoic face of the last Uchiha in the village, taking in each line and carving.

As he turned to leave, the smile did not leave his face, but an icy set of words could be heard coming from the traveler. "It is a shame, to have the monument be ruined by the scar that plagues this village still. It shall be the first thing to go."

The five or so years that had passed had not been kind to the little ramen shop that was fixated in the slums of Konoha. After the loss of their favorite customer, business had plummeted down so much that the two that had run the shop could not even afford to pay for the materials for the ramen.

Then, four years ago, the unthinkable happened. The old man who was the mentor and father to Ayame had passed away. Now on her own, Ayame tried her hardest to keep the store running. Lately it had been doing a little bit better as the shop had only one to give the profit to.

But even though things were better, Ayame was still depressed at the village's current events. She was not one of the Uchiha supporters so she was often shunned by the boy's fans. On top of that, she really missed the orange bundle of energy that consumed most of the tiny shop's supply.

Caught up in her thoughts, Ayame did not notice the person who was now approaching the ramen bar. Nor did she process the enormous request made by the hungry individual.

"Hello, Ayame, are you O.K.?" The stranger waved his hand in front of the girl's face as she quickly snapped back to reality. "I'm sorry, what is it that you said you wanted?" The man sat back in the chair and propped his feet up on the table as he began to reiterate his order. "Let's see, 4 miso, 5 shrimp, 3 pork, and 8 assorted."

Ayame simply blinked at the gargantuan order. "Uh, coming right up sir."

The traveler smiled underneath his violet scarf. "I hope the quality of the ramen has not diminished over the many years." Ayame, while stirring the massive pot of ramen, looked at him in a quizzical fashion, as if trying to estimate whether or not she has seen the man before. "No, at least I do not think so. It has been hard without my fath- have you eaten here before?" The stranger's eyes curved up into a seeming smile as he replied to her curiosity. "Why yes, I do believe I have, but not for a long time. I think the last bowl I had was five years ago."

Ayame dropped the bowl of ramen she was carrying, only to have it caught deftly by the now no-longer stranger. He lifted his head to look at the ramen waitress, whose eyes had swollen to the size of dinner plates and with a small, honest smile that was now visible thanks to the exertion of movement, he addressed the shocked girl. "Hello Ayame, long time no see."

"How-" Ayame started to ask the most prevalent question on her mind but was cut off by the man. "It is a long story that I would like to share over a nice, long welcome home dinner, but I am afraid it will have to wait. I am afraid that there is a lot of business to take care of still, so I will have to eat the rest of my meal later. Thanks again Ayame-chan."

With that, he rested back into his seat and downed the steaming bowl of noodles. Dropping a large set of bills on the counter, he got up and began to leave. But before he did, he turned around to once more face the astonished girl. "By the way, it is still the best ramen I have ever had."

And with that, his body faded out of existence, leaving the poor woman all alone in the stand. As he jumped away from the shop, he questioned himself. 'Now, who should I go say hello to next?'


	10. Welcome Home Part 2

Team Guy was up at training area 12 as usual, all of them sweating their asses off. This included Neji and Tenten who were constantly forced to endure the ever-youthful Rock Lee who was currently in a very good mood as he just got to increase the strength on his weights.

"Calm down Lee," Said a very irate Tenten. Lee just did a backflip over to her as if to prove his energy and replied in an over-energetic tone. "Never Tenten, the Flames of youth smile greatly upon me today and I must fulfill their wishes by getting accustomed to my new burden."

Holding her hands in front of her as if to shield herself from Konoha's Green Beast, Tenten muttered under her breath. "I can think of several burdens right now and they are not anything to be bouncing for joy about."

"She is right Lee, you should calm down before you hurt yourself. Or others" Neji added as a side note. But Lee just kept right on bouncing about along with the occasional back flip added in. "Do not worry Neji; I will never injure my youthful spirit." Neji scowled a bit before replying. "You might not injure yourself but it might bequeath you to look behind."

It was at this moment, as Lee was jumping back, that an unsuspecting bystander wearing very odd looking clothes jumped down from a near by building and strait into Lee's path. Colliding with a loud crash, the two plowed into the wall behind them, making quite a big indent into it with the strangers head.

Quickly rolling forward, Lee stood up to examine the damage that he had just caused with the aid of the imprinted human projectile. Tenten rushed up to the scene, wondering if the man was O.K. "Now you've done it Lee, look I'll take him to the hospital if you inform the Hokag-" But before Tenten had a chance to finish, a voice was heard from the crater in the building. "That will not be necessary, but I thank you for your concern."

The stranger then pulled himself up and dusted off his clothing a little with a few pats. To say they were shocked was an understatement, not only had this man survived a human missile with a thick skull as a projectile, but he had gotten up afterward.

"Listen, we're really sorry about our friend." Tenten apologized but the stranger just waved it off. "No, it is my fault; I really should have been looking where I was going. I guess I was wandering in the wrong place huh?"

While Neji and Tenten just stood there, utterly perplexed, Lee rushed up to the man, eyes ablaze with the self pronounced flames of youth. "The Flames of youth burn brightly in you to survive such a thing! Will you do me the honor of a sparring mach?" What happened next dropped the two teammate's jaws. "Actually, I had been hoping for that myself, I would be quite honored to fight with you."

Politely waving off the warnings from Lee's team, the stranger moved himself out onto the training felid. Lee quickly followed, asking the stranger the nature of the match. "Just tai-jutsu, since you seem to be so adept at it." Lee nodded in response as he dropped into a fighting stance. "I must warn you though; I have trained 5 years under the tai-jutsu master Guy." Said Lee with a hint of confidence. "I think you will see that I am no pushover either."

The two fighters remained a few feet from each other, both trying to stare the other down which was extremely hard as the strange man had a hat covering his eyes and a scarf wrapped around his neck that fluttered gently in the cool breeze. And while Lee was in a tensed up fighting stance, his opponent simply stood there, waiting for him to make the first move.

A calm breeze whipped the leaves that had fallen on the ground into the air. And as soon as every one of the leaves had fallen, Lee charged at the man with spinning sweep. As had happened dozens of times before, he expected the man to jump in the air so that he could then complete his combo by kicking him while he was aloft.

But no sooner had he done his attack, when his leg was stopped half-way into the sweep. He looked at the man who had extended his leg so that it had pinned his own. He then grabbed him by his collar and then slammed him into the ground. The impact left a huge crater as the man flipped horizontally and into a standing position.

As soon as Lee began pulling himself out, the man was already above him and was diving headfirst at Lee. Jumping up to meet his attacker, Lee began a series of combos that them man either dodged or blocked, while throwing his own counters back at him. Finally, the man landed a side-kick to Lee's stomach with a sickening crack. He then followed by throwing a spin-heel kick to Lee's face, sending him crashing into the same wall that had been previously penetrated.

There was a minor pause before a red glow came from the gaping hole. Moving faster than sound, Lee charged at the standing man. He jumped into the air to avoid the first attack while Lee skidded to a halt. "In that case…" The man formed a cross shaped hand sign and about a hundred copies of him appeared in the air.

While Lee charged up to the army of opponents, Tenten and Neji were gawking in silence while trying to guess who in the world this man was.

Meanwhile, in the air, there was total and utter chaos. There were clouds of smoke everywhere and the sounds of fist hitting flesh when after about 20 seconds, a green suited male fell from out of the huge mass. His body hit the ground, creating a second, larger crater that lay right next to the first.

There was a poofing sound and a large cloud of smoke as the man fell to the ground in a standing position. As he landed, a gear in Neji's head clicked. "Wait a minute, that many shadow-clones could only be created by-" The stranger looked at Neji with his cerulean eyes curved up into a smile. "Well, it looks like I have overstayed my welcome. It was nice seeing you all again, and tell Lee when he wakes up that I enjoyed the spar." And with that, he faded out of existence, leaving behind an unconscious boy, an apprehensive Hyuuga, and a still perplexed girl.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, the stranger had an easily recognizable smile on his face. 'That was fun' he thought to himself 'Lee sure has gotten stronger, but he still needs others help for ninjutsu.' Of course, wrapped up in his own mind, he failed to notice the brick wall ahead and so, with a resounding splat, he slammed into the wall.

Dizzying for a moment, he stood wobbling back on his feet. Then, as the figurative hamster started to go into overtime to account for the recent cell loss, an idea spurred inside his mind. "I Know, I will go visit Sakura-chan!"

* * *

At the hospital, things were also very dizzying, Sakura had been on duty since 11pm, and it was currently 5 in the afternoon. She let out a heavy sigh as she slid down in one of the hospital's many waiting chairs. She was about ready to collapse, and was about to had not the receptionist spoke up.

"Sorry Sakura, it looks like you have one more patient during this shift." Sakura groaned at this as she slowly pushed herself up from the chair. "Can't you get someone else to take this?" Sakura asked hopefully to the overly-perky receptionist. "Sorry, everyone else is on their dates, remember, it is a holiday."

'That's right', Sakura thought to herself. "How could I forget, Oct 10, that means I get to ask Sasuke to take me somewhere." Sakura said, cheering up. "You are so lucky Sakura, assistant head nurse, **and** dating the famous Sasuke Uchiha." "Well remember, it wasn't all fun and games for me." Sakura replied. "That's right; you had that awful demon brat on your team right?" The receptionist said disgustedly. Meanwhile, Sakura winced, Naruto wasn't such a subject much talked about anymore. Besides, it wasn't as if he was bad or anything, just a little annoying.

"But now he's gone, and we have this day to celebrate it." Sakura nodded dumbly. "So, who is the patient and what is wrong with him?" Sakura questioned the receptionist.

"Sorry, I guess that would be Me." came a voice from down the sterilized, white hallways. Sakura looked at the strange man who was dressed in garbs that reminded her of the old Pervert-Sanin. She caught a glimpse of blond hair under the brim of his hat that was pushed up slightly by his hand which was currently rubbing the back of his head in a child-like manner.

Sakura looked at him for a minute, her head tilted to one side. Had she seen this man before? He saw her stare and said, "I'm not from around here." 'Guess my mind was just playing tricks on me then, I am tired.'

"Well then," Sakura said. "What is wrong?" "Oh," the stranger answered, "I just got careless and ran into a wall. He raised the brim of his hat to show here the torn patch of skin that was there. "Ow." Was all that Sakura could say.

"Yeah, and just my luck too." He said as he walked down the hallway with Sakura. They soon came to a room and went inside as Sakura had him sit on one of the stools while she grabbed a chair from the small desk that was pushed into the corner. "Today is my birthday so I was hoping to avoid any injuries."

"Oh it is, is it?" Sakura asked as she picked a cotton swab and some iodine from one of the small cabinets. She then sat down and had the man take off his hat that hid a head of spiky blond hair that jutted every which way. "Yeah, 19th, although I still think I could use some Sake right now." This earned a laugh from Sakura as she dabbed the Iodine on the exposed flesh just above his eyes, which she now noted, were quite blue.

But one thing was even more curious to her; the wound had shrunken dramatically from the time in the hall to now. And it shrunk even more as she put the iodine on it. Sakura felt like asking the stranger about this. "Actually, I doubt you even need to be here, the wound has just about disappeared. "Yeah, I've always been a fast healer."

Apparently satisfied with this answer, Sakura stood up, and told the man. "Well, it looks like your fine." He rose too, saying "That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure." He grabbed his hat from behind the stool and placed it on his head as she went about filling in the proper paperwork for her to get off her shift.

"Well, I must be off; I have one more matter to attend to." Sakura smile at him and then turned back to her paperwork. "Oh, and Sakura-chan?" "Hm?" Sakura said as she continued with her work. "You look very beautiful today."

Sakura looked up from her paperwork and gave him one last smile and said "Take care." Just as she turned back to her paperwork though, her abnormally large brain kicked began to register the words. 'Compliments + Blond Hair + Dumb Attitude + Age + Eyes '

"SHIT!" Sakura screamed as she ran out the door to the room, but the man was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Sasuke had had a very busy day. He had to brief the newly appointed council on their duties, and had to oversee the work on the newest academy building, not to mention the academy students he had to take care of while it was being built. 'Seriously, don't they have teachers for that sort of thing?' Sasuke asked himself.

Just as he passed through the door at the top of the long, external flight of stairs on the Hokage palace, he heard a voice ask him something. "How are we doing today Sasuke?" Sasuke turned his bowed head to the smut-reading Jounin; ex-Jounin, Sasuke noted. "Like I am a Genin again." "In terms of Strength?" "No," Sasuke answered "In terms of workload."

This got a chuckle out of the has-been ninja. "Well it looks like you have one more task for today. There was a man in there a little while ago, probably looking for you." "I'll shoe him away; I can only take so much." Said Sasuke as he pushed the double doors open to reveal his oval shaped office and the man dressed in samurai garbs.

"So," Sasuke began. "What evil tyrant has come to rob me of my one and only nap time of the day?" Sasuke asked as he groggily trudged into the room. "Man, I new this job was tough but man, you look like shit!" "You're telling me." Sasuke stated with a yawn. "Still, I had spent my entire life trying to get it and I would still want it today."

This comment made Sasuke stop and he opened his eyes a little to look at the man in his office. His eyes got bigger however as his gaze landed on the face from his childhood. From the whisker marks on his cheeks to that fake smile of his, this was him one hundred percent. "Hello, Teme."

* * *

What Can I say, except, sorry for taking so long. Vacation is a mixed blessing. 


End file.
